


the sun is setting.

by dodongo



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Diamond & Pearl & Platinum | Pokemon Diamond Pearl Platinum Versions
Genre: 2nd Person, I MEAN... YOU TAKE LUCAS' PLACE BUT UR NOT REALLY LUCAS, M/M, but i might change it lol who knows, reader and dawn are young adults barrys like. late teens
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-27
Updated: 2018-05-28
Packaged: 2019-04-28 11:03:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14447934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dodongo/pseuds/dodongo
Summary: you don't need him. you never did.//in which the reader understands cyrus a little too well.





	1. genesis

you hate him with a passion.

"too slow!"

his eyes burn with the foolishness one could only find in a child. untouched by truth and reality; still pure and teeming with excitement for what the day may bring. it was sickening. his cheery personality, the way he seems almost eager to put you down and threaten to milk you of every cent you were worth. as if the boy even knows how to handle that much money.

he ends up getting you in trouble again, just like he always does. except this time it's shameful how dumb his actions are. he drags you by the arm, boasting of this great plan to convince the nearby professor to give you both some pokemon. your unconvinced look prompts him to charge into the tall grass by himself.

but he's cut short. an old man strides up from behind the both of you, sporting stark white hair and a gaze that could kill if timed right. you try to place his name, but your memories of the man only consist of static and kaleidoscopic backdrops. your need to place his name is extinguished within moments as your 'friend' blurts it out, as if the professor wasn't capable of introducing himself. dumbass.

rowan turns dramatically, as if he were acting out a show. he mumbles something to himself, something you don't hear, before turning around once again.

he asks you if you like pokemon. you reply yes.

he asks again. you reply yes.

blondie tries to play the matyr and gives himself up. serves him right. it does the trick, though. the old guy's stunned into giving you both your own pokemon. he looks around for a moment as if missing something before some girl about your age comes running up behind him. turns out the chick had his briefcase, which had three pokeballs inside of it. the starters. she scolds him for a minute, but you're not really paying attention.

the sound of the briefcase hitting the ground breaks you out of your daydream. with little prompting you make your way over to examine the selection. guess you will get something out of this after all. you kneel down, reaching out to grab the first pokeball you see in order to check what pokemon's inside.

light spills out of the device and you inch backwards, rising to your feet. the first pokemon spills out of the ball less than gracefully. it stares up at you with large, round eyes. it's a turtwig.

"you picked turtwig? then, i choose you! chimchar!"

"wait, no, i was just -"

but its too late. the professor cuts you off and gives a short speech before he and the goth shuffle off, leaving you stuck with your choice. and your _rival_.

eugh.

you watch the pair go for a moment, then turn to go home, only to be met with the face of the most obnoxious boy on the planet.

"i challenge you to a battle!"

goddamnit.


	2. daybreak

his chimchar falls to the ground with a loud thud. your own pokemon cheers at its victory, shuffling happily in some shoddy attempt at dancing. you don't bother to congratulate it. it quiets down after a moment anyways.

you go home. silents greets you, as it always does. you don't talk to your mother much. there's no point in it. she still manages to corner you at some point later in the night, demanding that you thank professor rowan in the morning. you head to your room without speaking. she'll just push you out the door when you wake regardless of your answer. better to save the energy.

you've always been distant. a machine on autopilot. it doesn't surprise you when you find yourself standing in rowan's lab the next morning, halfway through another one of his speeches. it's only when he asks you if you want to name your turtwig do you zone back in. the goth girl from earlier gives you a weird look after you say no. you stare her down. she averts her gaze and you follow suit.

somehow, he manages to rope you into doing his dirty work for him. the little red tablet he gives you sits snugly in your bag. it's likely that it'll never see the light of day again. to you, it's nothing more than a good excuse to get away from home.

he mentions something about barry, how he bolted off before rowan was even done speaking. you tell him you don't know where he went. last you saw of him, he was trying to get you to go to the lake with him. you had denied him, accused him of being a hypocrite for wasting his own time. he ran off without you.

the three of you part and you move on.

the trainers in the area are easily bested. it's not long before your turtwig has learned absorb, then razor leaf soon after. it seems tired, but you keep going. if you slow down on your training, you'll lose to barry. that's never going to happen. the tiny leaf pokemon will just have to get used to it.

in jubilife, you win a battle with your rival. in oreburgh, your first badge. things are going fine, for the most part. you manage to drift through life as you always have, returning to jubilife in order to make your way to the next gym.

but something changes.


	3. reveille

the first time you see them, blue hair and all, you pay them no mind. they're just two more opponents that you have to defeat. faces in the metaphorical crowd.

they're trying to get something out of the professor but you don't listen long enough to figure out what it is. instead, you find yourself reaching for your pokeball.

the sooner you beat them the sooner rowan moves out of the damn way. the codger and his assistant are blocking the path out of the city in some half-assed attempt to keep the duo from running off with... whatever it is they're trying to snatch.

not like they're gonna get away without your turtwig mopping the floor with them. at this point, the little turtle's already raring to go. it's standing by your feet, stomping as if trying to be intimidating.

the grunts get upset, tossing out their own pokemon. dawn scrambles to send out her piplup.

the fight ends quickly. it's a blur of motion, greens and blues and purples all melting together and getting lost somewhere in the depths of your memory. within moments, it's already gone from your mind.

you go to retrieve your pokemon, but a bright light suddenly flashes and encases the area around it. you have a grotle now. it lets out a proud cry. you return it to its pokeball before anyone can congratulate you.

rowan is stoic as ever. dawn gives you a look. you lock your gaze with her's. the grunts run off.

rowan clears his throat to draw your attention. you're only half listening as he talks about his studies. his speech peters out after noticing that you weren't paying attention. there's silence for a moment.

you stare him down, waiting to see if he'll continue. he looks at you as if trying to solve a puzzle. his stare is harsh.

he talks about the gyms scattered around the region. you've already beaten the one in oreburgh, so you know what they're like, but he continues on anyways. he asks for you to challenge them, says it'll make you and your pokemon stronger. you agree, if only because it gives you an excuse to be on your own for a while longer.

he frowns as he leaves. you're pretty sure you hear dawn mumble something like 'ungrateful' as the two walk away. you don't care. you've got somewhere to be.

time to go to eterna. to the next gym.


End file.
